When it comes to cars there are two types of problems: problems for mechanics and problems for common folk. If your car is leaking oil, you should see a mechanic, but if your headlights are a bit dirty you can take care of it yourself. We’ll list off some helpful car tips that you can do yourself with some household objects:
1. Cleaning cloudy headlights
You ever drive down a backroad at night and your lights are barely lighting up your surroundings? Check your headlights! They may be cloudy, so light doesn’t break through as easily. The solution is right in your bathroom: toothpaste. Apply some toothpaste to the plastic lens cover and rub it in thoroughly, from there rinse it off completely with clean water and dry it off. Viola! Perfectly clear headlights!
2. Prevent your car door from hitting your walls
We’ve all been there: we park in the garage and open the door only to be greeted with a loud SMACK! Now you have a dent, or if you’re lucky, just some chipped paint. In either scenario, it’s going to cost a bit of money to repair. Save yourself the time and hassle, go to the store and buy a swimming noodle, cut it in half, then glue or nail the tube to the wall. Now if you open the door too fast it will just bump directly into the tube, causing no damage at all!
3. Convenient trash can for your car
The worst feeling in the world is having the wrapper from a granola bar and having nowhere to throw it away. Occasionally we hop into a friend’s car only to have their floors littered with wrappers and trash. There’s an easy, elegant fix to this one! Just buy a plastic cereal container, fill it with a plastic bag, and you have yourself a non-spill trashcan for your car (just remember to change it)!
4. Retrofit your old car to be smartphone compatible
The classic days of riding in an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Stationwagon, going home to play Atari and listen to some Leonard Skynard on your record player. Those were the days! Now you still have an Oldsmobile but your Atari games and Leonard Skynard are on your phone. Luckily Jason Torchinsky wrote a how-to article on how to turn your ashtray into a smartphone dock! Check it out here!
5. Increase the range of your car remote
Most people have automatic car keys nowadays. You press a button and almost instantly your car is locked or unlocked. The biggest problem with this, however, is that it doesn’t always have the range you want – but there’s a solution. If you hold the key underneath your chin you will use your head like an antenna, thus giving you a bit more range on your keys!
While all of these tricks can be done at home with household items be sure you check in with a mechanic at least every six months. While you can clean your headlights with toothpaste, you can stop your from leaking with a household item. That’s when you visit a mechanic, here at A Plus Transmission. Contact us at 810.229.7878!